The Story Behind the Defiant Girl Statue in NYC
On International Women’s Day, you may have seen photos floating around social media of artist Kristen Visbal’s statue constructed in front of the bull on Wall Street in New York City.
And while the image itself was pretty cool, the story behind why the statue was put there in the first place is neat too. State Street Global Advisors placed the statue in order to bring attention to the lack of women on the boards of many of the companies they work with. And they want that to change.
Ron O’Hanley, president and chief executive officer, said that the company is “calling on companies to take concrete steps to increase gender diversity on their boards and have issued clear guidance to help them begin to take action.”
Lori Heinel is the deputy global chief investment officer at State Street Global Advisors and told Business Insider that while discussions about gender disparities in financial institutes hasve been discussed, not much has changed. But State Street wanted to make it known that it should change and they are taking a stand.
“One of the most iconic images on Wall Street is the charging bull. So the idea of having a female sort of stand against the bull or stand up to the bull just struck us as a very clever but also creative and engaging way to make that statement.”
The statue will be up for about a month, so if you’re in New York City, make sure to stop by and grab a photo of the girl standing up to Wall Street and the status quo.
